Rings and bearing replacement

[Smokey]

My car has now been in a shop for about five months. Very long story. What would be a shop hours estimate for the following, with the engine on a stand and out of the car: disassemble engine, replace rod and main bearings, camshaft, tappets, timing chain, and reassemble engine? The head was cracked and had to be replaced (big hammer used to remove) so there was no head work by this shop, just reinstalling a new rebuilt head supplied by me. How many hours should the block work above take in an experienced shop? The block was cleaned and cam bearings installed at a machine shop, so that was separate. If anyone has an original dealer workshop estimate, that could provide a baseline. I don't plan to pay this shop for their learning curve, just actual work done.

[Alec Pringle]

Hi Smokey,

 

if you email me via the Forum, so I have your email address, I can forward you a scan of the 1976 ICME Manual service times for the TR4. That's about as definitive as it gets. From the various tasks listed you could extrapolate a good approximation of what you've had done.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[Smokey]

Thanks, Alec, that would be great. Just what I was looking for as the basis of discussion. PM has been sent.

 

Smokey

[Ashley James]

My son runs a restoration business and is constantly asked for quotes that he won't give, simply because the cars are old and all sorts of unexpected problems appear that he could never have allowed for. Rust, bodgery, incorrect assembly and just things that refuse to come apart, all contrive to lengthen the time it takes to do what often should be simple jobs. I'm not saying that you may not have legitimate grievance only that very old cars are very different from when they were new and came to bits easily.

 

Best of luck with your dispute.

 

Ash

[Smokey]

Hi Ash, good advice. It's not necessarily a dispute, and I'm a fairly reasonable person. I want to do some homework just in case there is a discussion at some point. Everything has been amicable so far, and I realize this is not a new car, but five months is a long time to wait for rings, bearings and cam. If the bill is reasonable, I'll just pay it and move on.

[Andy Moltu]

Hi Ash, good advice. It's not necessarily a dispute, and I'm a fairly reasonable person. I want to do some homework just in case there is a discussion at some point. Everything has been amicable so far, and I realize this is not a new car, but five months is a long time to wait for rings, bearings and cam. If the bill is reasonable, I'll just pay it and move on.

 

 

5 months is a long time - were they delivering the parts by rowing boat from the UK or waiting for the Bearing straights to freeze over & bring them by land!

The assembly of an engine should not take much more than a day if it's already been stripped, machined as needed & cleaned.

[TR 2100]

My son runs a restoration business

and is constantly asked for quotes that he won't give, simply because the cars are old

and all sorts of unexpected problems appear that he could never have allowed for.

Rust, bodgery, incorrect assembly and just things that refuse to come apart, all

contrive to lengthen the time it takes to do what often should be simple jobs.

I'm not saying that you may not have legitimate grievance only that very old cars

are very different from when they were new and came to bits easily.

 

Agreed, but I think this is far less relevant to an engine rebuild.

Removal and dismantling may take a bit longer, but not really the

dismantling and rebuild itself.

 

 

AlanR